Two experimental programs to study the bone tools from the Middle Paleolithic hunter‐ gatherers (original) (raw)

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The study investigates the functional characteristics and processing methods of bone tools utilized by Middle Paleolithic hunter-gatherers through two experimental programs. It compares different retouching techniques and their effects on bone fragments from selected species, particularly focusing on the morphological and morphometric features of created blanks. The results reveal significant differences in fracture patterns and use-wear traces depending on the type of bone and retouching approach, contributing to a deeper understanding of prehistoric human behavior and tool-making strategies.

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Bone retouchers fromLower Palaeolithic sites...

Bone retouchers are more common during the Middle Palaeolithic (from MIS 7 to 3) and are now considered as a part of the tool kit of Neanderthals. In Middle Pleistocene and Lower Palaeolithic assemblages, they are few in number and attest to the scarcity of use of bones as material for shaping tools. Some MIS 11 to MIS 9 sites allow the description of the onset of bone use and its multiplication after the MIS 9 attests of another functional relationship between bones and hominins.

Don’t Smash Those Bones! Anatomical Representation and Bone Tool Manufacture in the Pampean Region (Argentina, South America)

Bone tools are one of the main features of hunter-gatherer campsites in the lower Paraná wetland (Argentina, South America) dated between 1.0 and 0.6 uncal. bp. This chapter examines how the selection of bone elements used to make tools limits the percentage of minimum animal units (%MAU) of ungulates established for archaeofaunal assemblages in the area. For that purpose, we analysed the manufacturing process involved in the creation of archaeological bone tools. This information is evaluated relative to deer anatomical representation, bone mineral density (BMD) and food utility index (FUI). Results suggest that analysis of anatomical representation of faunal resources requires a careful study of manufacturing processes.

Don’t Smash Those Bones! Anatomical Representation and Bone-tool Manufacture in the Pampean Region

Bone tools are one of the main features of hunter-gatherer campsites in the lower Paraná wetland (Argentina, South America) dated between 1.7 and 0.6 ky bp. This chapter examines how the selection of bone elements used to make tools limits the percentage of minimum animal units (%MAU) of ungulates established for archaeofaunal assemblages in the area. For that purpose, we analysed the manufacture process involved in the creation of archaeological bone tools. This information is evaluated relative to deer anatomical representation, bone mineral density (BMD) and food utility index (FUI). Results suggest that analysis of anatomical representation of faunal resources requires a careful study of manufacture processes.

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